Soapboxes

We all have talents, we all have things that we are better at than others; and subsequently, others have things that they can do better than we can. I believe that God gives us these talents, I also believe we have a choice to make; we can either find a soapbox to stand and use these talents to inspire, or we can squander them.

Within these talents lie the ability to touch peoples hearts and souls, to ask of them questions that could ultimately change their lives, opinions, and beliefs. True, most of the time the talents we have are raw, un-polished, rough. But that isn't any reason not to share our abilities even though they may be young. It would have been easier for me not to write this post, I am tempted to believe that I won't reach anyone. And you know what? I may never find out if I did, but at least I have taken up my soapbox and reached out. Someone may read this and be effected, maybe not, but I have stretched myself. And I hope by doing so, I can inspire someone else to do the same.  

I am a writer. New worlds are opened when I write, I derive incredible enjoyment from it, and I believe I can touch hearts by doing it.

Sometimes it's hard to believe we have anything good to say, and even when we do believe, sometimes it's hard to think that anyone is even going to read it. So we give up, we say "What does it matter? No one will read it, see it, like it." How will we ever know, if we don't try? How will we affect the world if we don't put ourselves forward? How will you make the changes you want to make without taking a risk?

Will it always effect someone? Probably not, but keep at it. Find your soapbox, stand on it, and keep shouting out your message. Eventually someone will hear you, eventually someone will think deeply about what you say, eventually you can change the world; one heart, one mind, one soul at a time.

Find your soapbox, look for your talents, then go for it! I have chosen to stand on a soapbox today. I used my natural talent, hoping to inspire others to do the same.

The next time you get an idea that you think could change someone positively are you going to push it aside or are you going try? Stand on your platform, whatever that may be, and shout your message. 

Book Review: Samara's Peril by Jaye L. Knight-Spoilers

 When news arrives that Emperor Daican has been in contact with his chief war strategist, it signals potential doom for the country of Samara. Determined to intervene, the resistance in Landale, headed by Lady Anne, embark on a covert mission in hopes of unearthing further information. However, a shocking discovery leads to complications no one could have foreseen. 

Armed with their newfound knowledge, they set out for Samara to warn the king. War is inevitable, and they must face two desperate battles—one on the walls of Samara’s great stronghold, and the other on the battlefield of Jace’s heart, where victory might only be achievable through great sacrifice.

I was so elated to get to read this book, I had been anxiously awaiting it for a long time now, but on top of all that my sister was one of the beta readers making it the time seem even longer. But it was worth the wait!

The plot was wonderfully orchestrated and there was definite middle book feeling to it-not a bad thing. Resistance and The King's Scrolls both felt like the beginning chapters, but I felt like this was a good transition over to the middle of the series. Beside that, this book belonged more to Jace-something I was very, very happy with-and for that reason had a different feeling to it. It was somewhat similar in format to Resistance, which was sort of a debut book for Kyrin, in that things in her life begin to move crazy fast, it is the same for Jace in Samara's Peril.

The progression in Jace's heart and mind is refreshing, he grows much in this book and his character arc is done well. I loved how much more of Jace's feelings we got to see, he was much, much more open in this book. In this book it all gets laid on the table, the rawest, harshest, most horrid places in Jace are there for us to see, but it is beautiful. He is beautiful, he is a person who has done many violent, bad things and yet in his brokenness is great redemption.

Now I would just like to say, Holden is a darling! Since Jace is already Kyrin's, I call dibs on Holden. His friendship to Jace in this book was much needed, yet again showing her writing prowess Jaye has taken a character you disliked and turned him to one you adored.

Jace's new family-for the most part-is wonderful. This book was the turning point for him and I cannot wait  to see him in the next three books. Also the progress in Jace and Kyrin's relationship left me very, very happy.

Elon, the Son Elom. I know that there were some people who felt there wasn't enough prefacing for Him but I disagree. I felt that Jaye spoke of Him enough that when you met him it was smooth. His sacrifice, though I did not feel especially emotionally involved, was written well. It was personal, which is sometimes a better way to bring one's emotions into it.

There were some harder subjects handled in this book-Jace's beginning was a violent one, his mother not having a choice in the matter, and at one point Kyrin almost has the same thing happen  to her-
however Jaye handled it very well, and did not dwell on it more than necessary. I thought those parts were done nicely.

The dragon vs. firedrake fighting sequences were really good. I appreciated how much Kaden stepped up in this book, as well as Liam and Marcus. The dragon fighting scenes and the few on the wall really left me hoping for a large battle in the upcoming future of Ilyon.

Well, once again Jaye has done marvelously! I have no doubt all Ilyon fans will love this book! Total 5 stars! Look for it on May 13th! It is worth the buy!

Book Review: Songkeeper by Gillian Bronte Adams

War ravages Leira and the Song has fallen silent.

Freed from the hold of a slave ship, Birdie, the young 

Songkeeper, and Ky, a street-wise thief, emerge to a world at war. Hordes of dark soldiers march across Leira, shadowed by whispers of plague and massacres, prompting Ky to return to his besieged home city in hopes of leading his fellow runners to safety.

Desperate to end the fighting, Birdie embarks on a dangerous mission into the heart of the Takhran's fortress. Legend speaks of a mythical spring buried within and the Songkeeper who will one day unleash it to achieve victory. Everyone believes Birdie is the one, but the elusive nature of the Song and rumors of other gifted individuals lead her to doubt her role. Unleashing the spring could defeat the Takhran once and for all, but can she truly be the Songkeeper when the Song no longer answers her call?

Since reading Orphan Song I have been awaiting Songkeeper with much anticipation. For the most part I wasn't disappointed.

One thing I will start off with is that Songkeeper took on quite a darker plot than Orphan Song. It was full of many gory and thematic details and for that reason I don't believe anyone younger than twelve or thirteen should be reading this book, however for older readers it is a heart-pounding adventure any fantasy lover is guaranteed to enjoy.

The plot was wonderfully orchestrated, and there was a well established end goal in mind. The journey leading up to that was exciting enough but at the end of the book I was hanging onto the edge of my seat, feeling like I couldn't breathe for the stress whenever I finished a chapter.

One thing I did not enjoy however was Gillian's usage of the British cuss word "bloody" many times. It rather felt like she was trying to be edgy without technically doing anything wrong. It cheapened Songkeeper. 

As to the characters the old characters' progression arc was done very well, and the new characters were quite enjoyable. 

My favorite character, Ky, had some pretty incredible scenes in this book. If you were a fan of Ky in the last book you will love the progression of his character. He has gone through so many horrible experiences yet he still does what's right, he has such a deep passion for his "family", and he is just plain awesome.

Birdie, poor Birdie. I felt horrible for her throughout this book. She is stuck in a whirl-wind of hard, scary events and is just so confused. Birdie is a wonderful female lead, she is not the kick-rear, sarcastic, hard-as-nails female character that is so expected nowadays. She is sweet and gentle and yet has incredible strength and resilience. She is confused, hurting, and trapped by circumstances but she still does what's right. 

Amos! There are many people who personally quite enjoy Amos, for the most part he annoys me. He is rather whiny and frustrating. While I do think the deep love he has for Birdie is sweet and his outlandish insults bring a level of spice and humor to the book, I would not be to sad if he was not a part of the book.

Gundhrold is a steady, someone you can always count on to be there for Birdie when she needs him.  He is very much a grounding force for this book that Birdie needs desperately.

The new cast of characters was done incredibly well too, my favorite of the new ones being the Saari warrior Sym.

Takhran. *shudders* Ugh! He was an appropriately horrifying villain. I think Adams did a wonderful job portraying the complete disgusting, evilness of him and creating a wonderful villain. 

The culture of the Saari was very cool, and the riding lions thing as pictured on the cover is awesowe. 

As said above, the end of this book is crazy! Intense, stressful, scary. And while Gillian said that the last scene was very meaningful to her, it was too fast and too brief. For all you had just experienced in that book, the end was very small, and did not really affect me as I had been anticipating. So that was rather a disappointment. 

Overall this book was a wonderful sequel to Orphan Song. If you enjoy fantasy this heart-pounding book will not disappoint.  

Book Review: Storming by K. M. Weiland

In the high-flying, heady world of 1920's aviation, brash pilot Robert "Hitch" Hitchcock's life does a barrel roll when a young woman in an old-fashioned ball gown falls from the clouds smack in front of his biplane. As fearless as she is peculiar, Jael immediately proves she's game for just about anything, including wing-walking in his struggling airshow. In return for her help, she demands a ride back home...to the sky. 

Hitch thinks she's nuts—until he steers his plane into the midst of a bizarre storm and nearly crashes into a strange airship like none he's ever run afoul of, an airship with the power to control the weather. Caught between a corrupt sheriff and dangerous new enemies above, Hitch must take his last chance to gain forgiveness from his estranged family, deliver Jael safely home before she flies off with his freewheeling heart, and save his Nebraska hometown from storm-wielding sky pirates. 

Cocky, funny, and full of heart, Storming is jaunty historical adventure/dieselpunk mash-up that combines rip-roaring steampunk adventure and small-town charm with the thrill of futuristic possibilities. 

This book is truly deserving of five stars!

The plot of this book was wonderful. And though it took a few chapters to get thoroughly engaged, once I was all I could do was hang on for the flight. The plot was exciting and I was itching to read it all the time.

This book was delightfully long. Usually it is disappointing when a book is stand alone but not so with Storming. It was long enough and characters developed so thoroughly that you felt full by the time it was done. And in the end it his one of those books that make you feel full and happy. And like everything is great. 

Now to the characters! Ah...some of the best characters I have read ever. I could totally see Hitch being the person he was, and Weiland was able to create the type of character that is constantly making you angry and annoyed at the decisions they make yet you still care so much about them and enjoy them. So like, a real person. :)

Jael, was the sweetest thing. It was so refreshing to have a female lead that isn't throwing the fact that she's female and can handle herself in your face. It is so hard to find enjoyable lead female characters at all in movies, TV shows, and books nowadays. Right now it's all kick rear, I can do anything a man can, and sarcasm. But Jael was so much better, she was capable of taking care of herself but not throwing it in your face. She was very understanding, cute and sweet. She knew what needed to be done and did it, and that was that.

Walter was so sweet. I felt such sympathy for the little guy, and totally loved him.

And no one can forget the airplane. That piece of machinery had a personality of her own, granted a sassy one, but a personality all the same.

And while the main characters rocked there was no lack of good background characters. All characters were well developed, and the baddies easy to hate.

If you are looking for a book with plenty of excitement and intrigue this is for you. And if you like planes and flying? It has plenty to keep you coming back for more!

Live Now

Have you ever wanted to escape the mundane bore of daily life? Have you had visions of New Zealand-ish type landscapes floating about in your head, thinking,

"I want to do something important and exciting!"

Truth is, you are doing something important...I had had my head in the clouds, thinking of adventures in beautiful lands, dangerous quests, and hard fights. I have experience extreme wanderlust. But you know what? The people in the stories who are actually experiencing those things have one consistent thought on their mind. Home. What they do is usually for the love of home, to keep the beautiful, wholesome things they love safe.

Having realized this I am glad to be where I am. I wouldn't leave for the world. I am content to stay in this moment, this day, this house, this family, this life.

The life I am living here and now is the adventure! This is the journey. It's time to take our heads out of the clouds and bring them back to reality.

Every moment we spend wishing we were somewhere else is a moment of our lives that is gone forever. At the end of our life are we going to be pleased with how we spent those moments? We have one life on this earth, so let's make it a good one.

One of the things I hope and pray for in my life is making a difference. I want to help people, I want to change things for the better. But there is no way that is going to happen if I spend my time focusing on where I wish I was rather than where I am.

So, how about you and me for the long haul? Let's live every moment to the fullest. Together, lets change the world.

Book Review: Ain't We Got Fun by Emily Chapman and Emily Ann Putzke

 It was never much of an issue for Bess: living contentedly on her family's farm, despite the Depression which loomed around them. But when her older sister Georgiana takes off to New York City to make a fortune and help Papa out, feelings of adventure and wanderlust strike Bess at home. Through their lively letter correspondence, the sisters recount to one another their adventures, surprises, and heartaches, leaving little room for depression. For in a world of such wonder, ain't we got fun?

Splendid! Absolutely splendid. I got this book by advertising for Black Friday book sales. It was the one I was most excited for and it exceeded my expectations. This book was done wonderfully, from the characters, to the writing, even to the cover which was done so well I was immediately attracted to the book.

It was a super long book but it was the perfect length for the story. The fact that 2 authors wrote this book was wonderful, each took a character and in doing so created to unique characters that balanced each other out.

My favorite of the sisters was Bess. She was a wonderful blending of contentment and wanderlust. She was the one who stayed at home, dealt with all the problems there and didn't run off. She was the hero in my book.

Georgiana was very aggravating, but a good character. She was selfish and self-centered. But a perfect depiction of many the young people who run off, all over the world, country, or even their hometown in search of adventure. She was stubborn, arrogant, and in many parts absolutely idiotic! However, she was a true to life character. So many of us are Gi: un-content, foolish, impulsive, un-grateful, brats. And she ends up falling on her face, tripping over her own foolhardy ideas and actions until she has been completely humbled. She was a wonderfully done character.

As to the 2 fella's in this book 3 cheers to them! Won't say too much on the matter but I loved these guys.

The writing felt very welcoming, almost like a Louisa May Alcott-ish for this generation. I applaud the authors on this venture. It was one of the most enjoyable things I have read. Definitely 5 stars!

Black Friday Book Sales

Well, Thanksgiving has come and gone and right now you are probably sitting on the couch with the carb hangover and are wondering how you managed to consume so much after making the annual resolution to, "never eat so much again". But don't worry, Black Friday is here! And as you frantically shop you can work off Thanksgiving dinner. But for those of you who managed to restrain yourself from a third piece of pie, there is an easier way to do your Black Friday shopping. How? Book sales! To get you in the book buying mood, I have narrowed down 5 books that I am thankful to have read this year. 

1. The Kings Scrolls, by Jaye L. Knight: A great addition to Ilyon Chronicles. The writing was still superb and the characters as charming and heart tugging as ever.                                             
2. Hebbros, by Nicole Sager: Oh my goodness! This was definitely my favorite read of the year. There was such depth of characters, plot, faith, and the writing was done explicitly. This book was so inspiring to me. It was done so well, the points gotten across so successfully, everything about this book brought me to new levels in even in how I thought about writing. I am glad that I read this book, it has brought me to new levels.                                                                            
3. Orphan Song, by Gillian Bronte Adams: This book was full on fantasy and while I couldn't read such zealous fantasy all the time, it was quite an enjoyable read.                                                       
4. It Took a War, by Emily Ann Putzke: While this book was not long at all it was moving. I like that the author didn't even mess with the who was right and who was wrong part of the Civil War, but instead how it affected the people.                                                                                            
5. The Follower, by C. F. Barrows: This book was incredible, the truths that the author wove into this book were great. And the spiritual aspects were unlike anything I have read before.

I don't know about you, but I'm looking forward to another great year of reading! Speaking of more reading, here's one more thing to be grateful for. Books on sale! In honor of Thanksgiving and Black Friday, a group of independent Christian authors banded together to offer over seventy discounted books on Nov 27-30. There's literally something for everyone. Every single book listed on Indie Christian Books is on sale in one or more ways. Find discounted paperbacks, dozens of books offered with free shipping, $0.99 ebooks, package deals and more. Even if you have a budget of $0, new reading material awaits you. Don't know what to pick? The fearless Indie Christian Books team created a quiz that will generate a book list perfect for you! Check it out!

What awesome reads of 2015 are you grateful for? What books are you looking forward to reading in 2016?

A note on the Ebooks Only page. All books are listed as "Sold Out." This only refers to paperback copies of these titles. Please click onto the product pages to find descriptions and links to discounted or free ebooks.

Acknowledgements: Thanks to Leah E. Good for her work organizing this sale, Gloria Repp for completing the time consuming job of uploading book info to the sale website, and Hannah Mills for her fantastic design work on the website graphics. Hannah can be contacted at hmills(at)omorecollege(dot)edu for more information about her design services.